it seems a fitting time to say that i have been having a difficult time here. while i know there are many new changes that come with a new baby, things should get a little easier as they get a little older. but, this has not happened here. my little one had been sick since halloween and thankfully has recovered a few days before christmas. as any mother would do, i have done everything possible to get him nursing and well. he has been slowly slipping down on the growth chart. he has gone from 90% in height to the 25% in height and his weight is below the chart. friends and family have been so kind to help ease my worries with their words. but in my heart, this has been very unsettling for me. another round of recently blood work came back normal, which my doctor is content with but it leaves me with so many unanswered questions.

... i held off from publishing but a recent visit to another doctor in search of answers to my questions and concerns has brought new hope and something positive to report to everyone. our doctor thinks that my little guy is reacting to something i am eating. so we are adjusting our diet. in addition to being free of cow's milk products, i will be gluten-free, egg-free, and soy-free. with that comes some changes to the family's diet as well. and i wanted to thank you and this space for giving me a little escape and outlet. truthfully, i have not been taking time for myself, as i know so many other mothers have trouble finding the time, especially with a new baby. with my little one's last round of testing, i had to do some tapping techniques or eft that i learned years ago to center myself, release some emotions, and keep me in the now. i feel great gratitude that i was able to utilize this technique and it reminded me of a time when i was more at peace. and it is something that i need to work on, so i will be taking some time to soak in the tub and do some reading, to start off with. if you need some time for yourself, i hope that you allow yourself some time as well.

I read your post with much emotion. I could have written something very similar a year ago. My little guy started getting rashes, then we all got a virus and he lost weight... but the weight didn't come back once he was over the virus. He wasn't a big solid-food eater and nursed frequently, but my milk supply also dipped because I had the virus too. So it was quite the downward spiral of weight loss -- we were close to needing to have our baby admitted to the hospital to be fed by IV.

It was such an emotional time, knowing something was going on with my baby and going to the hospital and specialists for tests. We discovered that he had allergies to wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, and oats. He had never ingested any of these foods directly -- it was all through my milk. So both mommy and baby had to eliminate these foods.

I can tell you that it was difficult to start, but only because I didn't know what else to eat. Now that I have a collection of recipes, and a list of food allergy blog friends, it is sooo much easier.

It took a few months of our allergen-free diet for my little guy to make it back onto the growth chart, but he did it! He's now into the 15th - 20th percentile and is the most healthy child. We still deal with the allergies, but the restrictions force us to come up with healthy alternatives. We eat very nutritiously, which is of course a good thing. We also had a nutritionist at the hospital give us some great information that got us started. One thing was to add a teaspoon of olive oil to his foods once or twice per day to increase his fat intake since it is hard to get enough fat for a baby when they (and you) are not eating dairy.

If you need any recipes for food free of common allergens, please stop by my cooking blog:http://eagleloftkitchen.blogspot.comI link to several other allergen-free recipe sites as well. And if you have any questions or just need a shoulder to cry on, leave a comment on my blog and I'll do my best to help.

Please know that I am thinking about you all while you are dealing with this difficult time. I am so happy for you that you seeing a way forward and hopefully things will improve for your little one.Rosaleen